Cassette for stapler

ABSTRACT

A cassette for stapler capable of storing staples with different lengths of needle legs and capable of being manufactured at a low cost, comprising a cassette body formed slender with a channel shaped cross section and having a staple extrusion groove provided at the tip thereof, a staple holder longitudinally fitted to the cassette body to hold the large number of staples, a feeder for moving the staples pressingly toward the tip thereof, a spring for energizing the feeder, and a guide rod for guiding the movement of the feeder, wherein a guide wall capable of storing the staples with different lengths of needles is provided in the staple holder.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a cassette for a stapler, which can bestored with staples having needle legs of different lengths.

BACKGROUND ART

In the prior art, a dedicated stapler cassette has been manufactured foreach of staples having needle legs of different lengths. This stapler isloaded for different applications with stapler cassettes for differentneedle leg lengths.

A stapler cassette has been proposed by us in JP-KOKAI (unexaminedpatent publication)-HEI07-96475. In a stapler cassette 31, as shown inFIG. 10, a frame 32 is provided at its leading end with a cap 33, andaccommodates a guide 34 loaded with staples 35. In the guide 34, thereis fitted a pusher head 37, which is attached to the leading end of apusher spring 36 so as to slide the rear end of the staples 35 back andforth. The staples 35 are pushed at all times toward the cap 33 by thepusher head 37. Numeral 38 designates a rear end cap of the pusherspring 36.

The staples 35 stored in the stapler cassette are extruded down by thedownward push of the cap 33.

PROBLEMS THAT THE INVENTION IS TO SOLVE

However, in the stapler cassette of the prior art the cassettes adaptedespecially for the lengths of needle legs of staples have to bemanufactured. This increases the kinds of cassettes suited for thelengths of needle legs. As a result, it needs high cost to manufacturethe cassettes and is difficult to store and manage the same.

Moreover, the cassettes of the prior art are insufficient for storingthe staples and are encountered by the phenomenon of staple clogging andby the deficient stability of products.

Therefore, the invention has been conceived in view of the problems ofthe prior art thus far described, and has an object to provide acassette, which can store the staples having the different needle leglengths without increasing the kinds of the cassette and which can bemanufactured at a low cost.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

In order to achieve the above-specified object, according to Claim 1 ofthe invention, there is provided a cassette for a stapler stored with amultiplicity of juxtaposed staples each having a pair of opposed needlelegs, comprising: a cassette body formed slender with a channel-shapedcross section and having a staple guide slit opened in the upper facethereof, through which the blade for extruding staples stored on theupper face of the leading end portion is moved up and down; a stapleholder fitted in the channel-shaped open face of the cassette body andhaving a staple extrusion groove opened below the blade guide slit ofthe cassette body and at a position to confront the blade guide slit andhaving a pair of erected guide walls supporting the needle legs; afeeder pushing the staples toward the staple extrusion groove of thestaple holder; a spring for urging the feeder toward the staplerextrusion groove of the staple holder; and a guide rod for guiding themovement of the feeder. The cassette is characterized in that thestaples are extruded, while being pushed by the feeder, is extruded fromthe staple extrusion groove by the up-and-down movements of the blade.

In Claim 1, the stapler cassette according to Claim 2 is characterizedin that a pair of guide walls for supporting the leading ends of theneedle legs are erected along the side edge portions of the stapleholder.

In Claim 1, the stapler cassette according to Claim 3 is characterizedin that retaining projections for fixing the loading position of thecassette stored with the staples are formed on the upper face of therear portion of the cassette body and/or on the lower face of the rearportion of the staple holder.

In Claim 1, the stapler cassette according to Claim 4 is characterizedin that the cassette is made of a hard synthetic resin.

According to Claims 1 and 2, the stapler cassette of the invention isconstructed such that the staple holder is separately incorporated intothe cassette body. By incorporating the staple holder provided with theguide walls having a height corresponding to the length of the needlelegs, therefore, the cassette can be efficiently used without any changein its entirety while meeting the demand for the staples of differentneedle leg lengths.

Moreover, the paired confronting guide walls act as rails to mount theneedle legs of the staples thereon. Therefore, the staples are carriedon the ceiling portion so that they are not encountered by any rattling.Moreover, the guide walls have no clearance from the ceiling portion ofthe staples so that they guide the staples to the staple extrusiongroove. Therefore, neither rattling nor clogging occurs in the staplesbeing carried.

According to Claim 3, the retaining projections are formed on the upperface of the rear portion of the cassette body and/or on the lower faceof the rear portion of the staple holder. As a result, the cassette canbe loaded no matter whether the stapler-side retained portion might bepositioned on the upper or lower side.

According to Claim 4, the cassette is made of plastics at a low cost sothat it can be disposed of.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In FIG. 1 presenting side elevations showing the state, in which anembodiment of the invention is inserted into a stapler, (a) is a sideelevation showing the inserted state, and (b) is a side elevationshowing the moved state of staples.

In FIG. 2 relating to the first embodiment of the invention: (a) is asectional view of showing the side of a cassette; (b) is a plan view ofthe same; (c) is a back view of the same; and (d) is an end view of thesame.

In FIG. 3 presenting sectional views of a cassette body of FIG. 2: (a)is a sectional view showing the side face of the cassette body; (b) is asectional view taken along arrows A—A of the same; (c) is a sideelevation of the same; (d) is an end view of the same; (e) is a planview of the same; and (f) is a bottom view of the same.

In FIG. 4 presenting sectional views showing the side face of thecassette body of FIG. 2, (a) to (d) are a section and end views showingthe section of a staple holder having no guide wall.

In FIG. 5 presenting sectional views showing the cassette body and thestaple holder of FIG. 2, (a) to (c) are sectional views and an end view,respectively.

In FIG. 6 relating to a second embodiment of the invention, (a) to (c)are a sectional view and end views of a staple holder having guide wallswith different heights.

In FIG. 7 presenting sectional views showing the side faces of thecassette body of FIG. 6, (a) to (c) are sectional views and an end viewshowing the sides of the staple holder having the guide walls formed.

In FIG. 8 relating to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, (a) is anexplanatory sectional view showing the side face, on which the stapleholder in the state having no guide wall is incorporated into thecassette body.

In FIG. 9 relating to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 6, (a) is anexplanatory sectional view showing the side face, on which the stapleholder in the state having no guide wall is incorporated into thecassette body.

FIG. 10 presents an exploded perspective view of the stapler cassette ofthe prior art.

EXPLANATION OF LETTERS OR NUMERALS

-   1. Cassette-   2. Stapler-   3. Blade-   4. Staple-   5. Frame-   6. Guide portion-   7. Cover-   8. Handle-   9. Lever-   10. Base-   11. Staple guide slit-   12. Staple extrusion groove-   13. Cassette body-   14. Guide wall-   15. Staple holder-   16. Feeder-   17. Spring-   18. Guide rod

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to theaccompanying drawings. FIG. 1 presents explanatory side elevations ofthe state, in which a cassette for a stapler according to the inventionis inserted into a stapler body; FIG. 2 presents explanatory viewsshowing the state, in which the stapler cassette according to a firstembodiment of the invention is partially cut away; FIG. 3 presentsexplanatory views of a cassette body of FIG. 2; FIG. 4 also presentsexplanatory views of a staple holder shown in FIG. 2; FIG. 5 presentsexplanatory views of a staple holder shown in FIG. 2; FIG. 6 presentsexplanatory sections of a staple holder of a stapler cassette accordingto a second embodiment of the invention; FIG. 7 presents sectionsshowing the sides, on which the staple holder having guide walls formed,as shown in FIG. 6, is incorporated into a cassette body; FIG. 8presents enlarged sections showing the sides, on which staples shown inthe first embodiment are loaded into the cassette; and FIG. 9 presentsenlarged sections showing the sides, on which staples shown in thesecond embodiment are loaded into the cassette.

In a stapler cassette 1 according to the invention, as shown in FIG. 1(a) and (b), staples 4 are loaded into a stapler body 2 of a cassettetype stapler to be driven downward. When a blade 3 is moved up and downby operating a handle 8 after the cassette was inserted, the blade 3pushes the staples 4 down to extrude them for use. The stapler body 2 isconstructed to include integrally a frame 5 having an insertion hole forfitting the cassette 1, and a cover portion 7 supported by the frame 5with a guide portion 6. The handle 8 is biased upward by bias means suchas a spring to turn on the (not-shown) pin below the rear end of thecassette guide portion 6, and is disposed over the frame 5.

Here, reference numeral 9 designates a take-out lever disposed at therear end of the cover 7 for extracting the cassette 1, and numeral 10designates a base for the stapler body 2 of the cassette type stapler.

In the cassette 1 according to the invention, as shown in FIGS. 1 (a)and (b), when the handle 8 is depressed downward, the blade 3 is drivendownward in association with the handle 8 so that it can shoot thestaples 4 down onto the base 10. When the cassette 1 is to be exchanged,on the other hand, the lever 9 disposed at the back of the cover portion7 is pushed downward, and the cassette 1 retained automatically byretaining projections is then released from the retention. The cassette1 is projected forward so that it can be replaced.

As shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 5, the cassette 1 is constructed to comprise:a cassette body 13 formed slender with a channel-shaped cross sectionand having a blade guide slit 11 opened in the upper face thereof,through which the blade 3 for extruding the staples 4 stored on theupper face of the leading end portion is moved up and down; a stapleholder 15 fitted in the channel-shaped open face of the cassette body 13and having a staple extrusion groove 12 opened below the blade guideslit 11 of the cassette body 13 and at a position to confront the stapleguide slit 11; a feeder 16 pushing the staples 4 toward the stapleextrusion groove 12 of the staple holder 15; a spring 17 for urging thefeeder 16 toward the stapler extrusion groove 12 of the staple holder15; and a guide rod 18 for guiding the movement of the feeder 16.

While the staples on the staple holder 15 being pushed by the feeder 16,according to the invention, the staplers 4 are pushed from the staplerextrusion groove 12 onto the base 10 by the vertical movements of theblade 3.

As shown in FIGS. 2 (a), (b), (c) and (d) and FIGS. 3 (a), (b), (c),(d), (e) and (f), the cassette body 13 is provided with a retainingprojection 15 a on the upper face of the rear portion for fixing theloading position when the cassette body 13 is loaded with the staples 4,and retaining holes 13 b at three longitudinal portions on the two sidefaces for retaining the staple holder 15. Moreover, the cassette body 13has an internal width set to accommodate the external width of thestaples 4 slidably.

The staple holder 15 to be incorporated into the cassette body 13 isformed, as shown in FIG. 2(a), to include a guide head 20 having a widthto guide the internal width of the staples 4 slidably, and alongitudinal base plate 21 leading to the rear end of the cassette body13. The base plate 21 is provided at three longitudinal portions on itsside faces with retaining projections 15 c to be fitted in the sides ofthe cassette body 13.

The base plate 21 is further provided on the lower face of its rear endwith a retaining projection 21 b for fixing the loading position whenthe staple holder is loaded into the stapler 2.

The feeder 16 for pushing the staples 4 toward the leading end of thecassette 1 is provided on its front face with a pushing end face 16 awhich is shaped to correspond to the channel shape of the staples 4, andon its rear face with a spring seat 16 b for receiving the abutment ofthe spring 17. In the center of the spring seat 16 b, moreover, there isformed a hole 16 c, through which the guide rod 18 can slidably move.

The guide rod 18 has a length from the leading end of the staple 4 onthe side of the staple extrusion groove 12 to the rear end. The guiderod 18 has a fixing end portion 18 a formed integrally with its rearend, and is fixed in retaining recesses 18 c on the cassette body side,as shown in FIG. 1(b), through retaining projections 18 b formed on thetwo sides of the fixing end portion 18 a. The feeder 16 is mounted onthe guide rod 18, and the spring 17 is interposed between the feeder 16and the fixing end portion 18 a.

As shown in FIG. 6 to FIG. 7, a cassette 1 according to a secondembodiment is constructed to comprise: the cassette body 13 formedslender with the channel-shaped cross section and having the stapleguide slit 11 opened in the upper face thereof, through which the blade3 for extruding the staples 4 stored on the upper face of the leadingend portion is moved up and down; the staple holder 15 fitted in thechannel-shaped open face of the cassette body 13, having the stapleextrusion groove 12 opened below the blade guide slit 11 of the cassettebody 13 and at a position to confront the staple guide slit 11, and apair of guide walls 14 erected along the side edges thereof forsupporting the needle legs of the staples 4; the feeder 16 pushing thestaples 4 on the guide walls 14 toward the staple extrusion groove 12 ofthe staple holder 15; the spring 17 for urging the feeder 16 toward thestaple extrusion groove 12 of the staple holder 15; and the guide rod 18for guiding the movement of the feeder 16.

While the staples being pushed by the feeder 16, according to theinvention, the staples 4 on the guide walls 14 are pushed from thestaple extrusion groove 12 onto the base 10 by the vertical movements ofthe blade 3.

This embodiment is characterized, as shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 5, in thatthe guide walls 14 are so formed in the longitudinal direction on thetwo sides of the upper face of the base plate 21 as to have variousheights corresponding to the needle lengths of the staples 4. As shownin FIG. 9, the guide walls 14 are divided into guide walls 14 a, 14 band 14 c corresponding to the staples 4 having the largest needlelength. By changing the heights of the guide walls 14, therefore, theguide walls 14 can hold and accommodate the various staples 4 having thedifferent needle lengths at a predetermined height.

The cassette thus constructed is wholly made of plastics excepting thespring for pushing the staples.

Here will be described the actions of the cassette.

In the cassette of the invention, as shown in FIG. 9, the staple holder15, which is provided with the guide walls 14 having the heightscorresponding to the needle lengths of the staples 4, is loaded into thecassette body 13 so that the edges of the staples 4 are held on theguide walls 14. Thus, the staples 4 are held at the predetermined heightso that the staples 4 on the guide walls 14 take positions contactingwith the upper face of the cassette body 13, as shown at (b) in FIG. 8to FIG. 12. In this state, the relative positions between the upper endof the staples 4 and the lower end of the blade 3 become identicalindependently of the needle lengths so that the staples 4 can be shotunder the identical conditions.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

According to the invention, the staples are supported on the inner wallfaces of the cassette body 13, and the rattling at the feeding time isprevented by the guide head 20. The blade can be smoothly actuated.Especially, the cassette can store the staples having the differentneedle leg lengths without increasing the kinds of the cassette and canbe manufactured at a low cost.

Moreover, the staple holder having the guide walls with the heightscorresponding to the needle lengths is separately incorporated into thecassette body so that the cassette can be wholly accommodated withoutany change even with the different needle lengths of the staples.

Moreover, the guide walls confronting each other act as rails to carrythe staples on the ceiling portion so that they guide the stapleswithout any rattling. Thus, the staples move without any rattling tocause no staple clogging.

Moreover, the retaining projections for fitting the staples are providedon the two upper and lower faces so that the cassette can be loaded nomatter whether it might be directed to have the stapler-side retainedportion on the upper or lower side.

Moreover, the cassette is made of plastics at the low cost so that itcan be disposed of.

1. A cassette for a stapler stored with a multiplicity of juxtaposedstaples each having a pair of opposed needle legs, comprising: acassette body formed slender with a channel-shaped cross section andhaving a staple guide slit opened in the upper face thereof, throughwhich the blade for extruding staples stored on the upper face of theleading end portion is moved up and down; a staple holder fitted in thechannel-shaped open face of said cassette body and including a stapleextrusion groove opened below said staple guide slit of the cassettebody and at a position to confront the staple guide slit, and a pair ofguide walls erected for supporting said needle legs; a feeder pushingsaid staples on said guide walls toward the staple extrusion groove ofsaid staple holder; a spring for urging said feeder toward the stapleextrusion groove of said staple holder; and a guide rod for guiding themovement of said feeder, characterized in that said staples on saidguide walls, while being pushed by said feeder, are extruded from saidstaple extrusion groove by the up-and-down movements of the blade.
 2. Acassette for a stapler as set forth in claim 1, characterized in thatretaining projections for fixing the loading position of the cassettestored with said staples are formed on the upper face of the rearportion of said cassette body and/or on the lower face of the rearportion of said staple holder.
 3. A cassette for a stapler as set forthin claim 1, characterized in that said cassette is made of a hardsynthetic resin.